The Crossbow's owner
by TrailOfTears
Summary: Michonne and Hershel did not get captured. Instead after Rick banished Carol from the prison, Carol finds herself being the key to the Governer's plan to attack. What will Daryl do when the gun is pointed to someone he loves head?
1. Chapter 1: The plan

**Hellooo, I have had this idea for sometime and wanted to write it out. This chapter is short but I promise if this one goes well the others will be longer and better then this one. This is based at the Governor's camp before the prison falls. Enjoyyy**

**_Chapter 1 : The plan_ **

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><p>The Governor was starting to get irritated with his plan to attack the prison. He had no ideas. None. He wished to walk right up to the gate, kill them all – Michonne especially (he was working on how to do that). But he wanted to plan. Plan out every second, every action, every word that would make Rick's group and the old Woodbury residents suffer to the bone. He had already persuaded his camp that these people are 'bad people' and 'they killed his daughter', he was surprised on how easy it was to get them to turn against people they don't even know. It was like turning on a switch. So now that his people are ready to fight, he needed a plan and a good one. He sits on the bench with a half drank beer in his hand and watches as Pete walks out the RV and then towards him.<p>

"We found a lady on a supply run. She's in pretty bad shape." Pete says, looking down at the governor.

"And... you have taken her in. To my camp?" The Governor stands up, leaving the beer to itself.

"Like I said, she is in a bad shape. We couldn't have left her."

The Governor grips his hand to his gun. This lady could be a threat to them... to the plan. Even if they did heal her back up and make her go packing she now knows where they sleep at night. This is bad, why couldn't Pete think through this. The Governor walks around the bench, inspecting the area only to find nothing and then he pulls his face close to Pete.

"Do you want this lady to cut our throats while we sleep? To take all our supplies and make a run for it?" The Governor spat.

"N...no."

"Then I suggest you search your brain before taking the rest of the living here." The Governor pushes him away and then looks behind his shoulder to the RV.

"What is this woman's name?"

"Coral...Carlie, Carol? Something like that." Pete says.

"Hm." The Governor walks past him and towards the RV.

While he starts to open the door in the distance he spots Megan practicing chess. Probably to get better and win their game one day. Megan reminds him of his daughter and it feels good to have those reminders be real rather then in his mind. He opens the door and the lady sits on the double chair, her hands tied up with a strong thin cloth. At least Pete did something right. Lilly is on the other side of the room with first aid equipment scattered around the table, trying to help the lady. The Governor rolls his eyes.

"Lilly, you can finish if off later. I need to speak to this lady."

Lilly's eyes move up and she looks hurt from his words. "I need to stop the bleeding on her leg."

"I'm fine." The lady says.

The Governor knits his eyebrows together. Her voice. It's familiar. He turns around just as Lilly hops out the RV.

_Carol_

Her name is Carol. He recognises her under all the dirt and blood on her clothes and skin. This is the... plan.

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><p><strong>I justed finished The walking dead telltale season 1 on xbox 360 and cried my eyes out at the ending. Please R&amp;R your thoughts, ideas and ^^ <strong>

_**TrailOfTears**_


	2. Chapter 2: Lies

**Thank you for following and reviewing green angel01 and 9livesremember . Please keep them coming. This chapter is a longgg onee :) because I am starting college tomorrow and unsure when I will next update the next chapter (hopefully at the weekend.) Enjoyy. **

**_Chapter Two : Lies_**

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><p>The cut in her upper leg stung and now and then Carol would squeeze her leg with her fingers to increase pressure. After Rick watched her drive away, she didn't look back and she planned to never look back again. The car didn't last three miles and when she finally found out it wasn't the gas that was the problem but in fact the engine she decided that was her cue to walk. Carol didn't work out how many miles she had been walking because she was too busy thinking about Daryl. <em>She will never see him again and maybe that was okay because what ever Rick tells him, Daryl will look at Carol as something else... a slaughter. She didn't want that and even though it already hurts to not be apart of that group... family, she will always miss and love him the most even if he does think Rick did the right thing. <em>Although Rick was right about one thing. She would find another Group.

"How'd you do that?" The Governor takes a seat and nods to her leg.

Carol appears down at her hand enveloped in blood. She decides to be vague. "It was an accident."

Carol spotted a store in the distance and she didn't know if it was actually there or her hallucinations playing with her. Her sigh could have at least attracted all the walkers within 20 yards when she stood in front of the store. At least she wasn't going mad. As she was taking out walkers she accidently slashed the knife on her leg, leaving herself unconscious. That's when she woke up in a car with a group of men. And that is what leads to here. With her enemy... or she could say old enemy if she is not apart of Rick's group anymore.

"You can't afford to be making silly accidents... especially in a world like this." He didn't sound concerned at all. "So, where are your homies?"

"I left them." Carol lies. In truth they left her.

"Same goes for mistakes, you can't afford them. It's a mistake to survive on your own." He says. "I made that mistake until I found this group."

Carol knew his game. The being 'nice' game to win her over. Ed use to do it all the time but it quickly unfolded to the real him. This Governor wants something and whatever it is, Carol knows her family... old family are involved. The Governor stands up and walks over to Carol, leaning his hands on the armrests and leaning into her face, pinning her down without touching her.

"I want the prison, my group want it. And we are going to fight for it tomorrow." His whispering voice sends shivers into Carol's body.

Of course the Governor doesn't want the prison; he just wants revenge on the people who live there.

"You could make an arrangement with them. Both of the groups take half of the prison."

"Live together? Can you see me and Michonne living together, after she did this?" The Governor snaps the string that holds the eye patch onto his eye and throws it in the corner of the room.

Carol takes a glance of it and then looks at his shoes. The image still in her head of a scar going portrait down the closed eye. It made Carol only think what her leg would look like after it healed.

"I'm not involved with them," Carol raises her eyebrows, still looking away. "or you."

That's when she felt his cold hand slap her across the face, so quick her head turned towards the other direction. Her quick grunt turned into a hum and the pain on her cheek took her mind off the stinging on her leg. The pain took her back to the times before this, to the times her husband was alive. She could get out of here, and get to the prison as soon as possible to warn the others.

"You are already involved." The Governor cuts the cloth off her hands and wipes the blood running down her chin with his thumb. "Come out and meet the others."

He leaves the RV.

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><p>When Carol finally finds the energy to stand up, her leg starts to take over the sting in her cheek. It takes her a moment to find objects to lean her body onto to get to the door. And when she gets out of the RV she sees stars fly in the corner of her eyes but they swiftly disappear as the wind flourishes her skin. She limps, concentrating on her balance and then slowly sits on the bench with beers and food scattered on the table. She watches people working; talking or just relaxing around her and it slowly feels like she is back at Atlanta survivor camp. A small girl who catches her eye is playing chess, her long hair flying in the wind. Carol exhales noisily and her upper body is taken forward and the back. The lump in her throat threatens to suffocate her. <em>Sophia. <em>Is all she can manage to think.

"That's my girl," A lady sits down opposite Carol. "Meghan."

Her hair is brown and short, the sides pulled up to the middle of the back of her head with grips.

Carol nods. "Meghan is a pretty name."

"Yeah, it is. She reminds you of someone?"

"Something like that." Carol says. "How do -"

"I can see it through your eyes. I'm Lilly."

"Carol."

After a while Carol started talking to Lilly, and found out she is a doctor and the three of them lived in their apartment the whole time everything was going on. Lilly told Carol about the Governor and how a great man he is (which Carol went along with) and got her dad oxygen but unfortunately didn't make it. And that's when they decided to leave. She didn't say anything about the plan which Carol tried to get out of her. That's when Meghan jointed their conversation and Carol felt herself becoming more attached to this girl on every word she spoke, but she couldn't. Not now... not ever. The Governor called everyone to gather around but Carol stayed behind everyone. Her arms folded and her hip leaning on the RV.

"Tomorrow we will attack the prison. So we can be safe, so our children can be safe." The Governor says. "I have been talking to Carol. Carol use to work among these people at the prison until they left her on the side of the road with nothing but a butter knife."

Carol lowered her eyebrows. She looked out towards the forest; she could make a run for it. Run towards the prison but when she checked if nobody was looking someone was looking. A man, his eyes squinting at her and his weapon being played with in his hand. Carol wouldn't have made it far with her leg in this condition anyway.

The Governor continued. "Carol has volunteered to help us get this prison. She knows the ins and out so we have great advantages with her. We will praise her after tomorrow but for now... now we will get ready to fight!"

Everyone cheered and raised their hands in the air. Carol chuckled in disgust.

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><p>When Carol woke up in the RV it was still dark outside. She knew her leg was covered in blood because she could feel the bedding and her trouser leg wet. But she ignored it when she heard whispering.<p>

"She's awake." A man whispers. And then other voices whisper back.

"Carol?" The Governor says. His voice feels so close.

Carol leans on her elbows and looks at the dark figures, she can't move. Her leg won't adjust. The men walk forward and then she feels a fist slam into her face.

"We have to do this, so Rick... Daryl can see you like this."

Carol felt another fist hit her stomach and then another.

It wasn't her leg that would be her only wound.

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><p><em><strong>TrailOfTears<strong>_


	3. Chapter 3: One life

**Wow! Thank you for all the reviews. I just came back from college and was amazed by how many reviews I got on the last chapter, thank you! I love them all but my fave were from 9livesremember, crystal2817 and green angel01. Everyone please keep them coming! I am unsure on this chapter, and I don't think Daryl reacts as much as I thought I wrote, if not please review me about that. **

_Chapter 3 : One life _

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><p>"Ya did what?"<p>

"She killed Karen and David." Rick spoke softly.

Daryl pushed his fists into his eyes so he could see nothing but darkness. He wanted to run away, run away from this scene that only played but never paused. Carol... he had been looking for the murderer, finding everything to say under the sun about this murderer and all along it was... Carol. He didn't believe it.

"Tha' ain't her." Daryl rests his elbows on the railing.

His vision is blurry and he never really realized how hard he was pushing his fists but to what... release his anger? Is this even anger? Because he doesn't feel it, he feels numb and this other feeling he has never felt before.

"It was her. When you where out on the run, she walked up and admitted it to me... I know you are concerned but she will be fine. She will find another group."

Concerned. Is that this feeling? Daryl didn't believe she will find another group – that is false hope. Daryl looks into Rick's eyes and sees the same eyes Rick had when he told him about leaving Merle on the roof. Twice. Fucking twice he has done this.

"Why couldn't ya have fuckin' waited until we got back? I would have sorted it."

He could feel it. His face becoming hot. His fists and stance becoming aware and on guard. This was anger building. And he would have sorted it but he feels hurt... hurt that Carol didn't tell him. He would have made sure she was safe and made his own decision, not the council and especially not Rick.

"She was a threat to us... to Carl... to Judith." Rick says.

"She was one of us. Right from the start and ya just throw her away like she was nothin'." Daryl shouts and gets a few people's attention but he doesn't care.

Suddenly Daryl didn't care if she killed Karen and David or not. He wanted to find her.

"How long has she been out there?" Daryl asks.

"You are not going to look for her. We need you here."

"How long, Rick?" Daryl shouts.

All that he knows, Carol could have been on the road for days while he was out finding medicine. He wanted to find her.

"I took her yesterday." Rick sighs.

Daryl chews the inside of his cheek. He could work with that. Daryl steps back and starts to walk down the stairs with Rick hot on his tail.

"You are not going. We have people here who are sick; they are looking up to you."

Daryl stops and turns around, facing Rick. "Ya ain't stoppin' me. I work my ass off for ya and ya family and this is the return I get. For ya to not only leave my fuckin' brother on the roof but to also leave Carol too."

"Rick!" Maggie shouted.

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><p>"Do ya want me to come?" Daryl asks.<p>

Rick shakes his head and walks through the gate towards the Governor. They turned up, with trucks and a tank but that wasn't the threat... the governor standing in front of it all was. Rick stops mid between both sides, his arms moving which only means they are talking, but from here you can't hear. Daryl nudges Maggie's back with a gun and she and Beth take it.

"I could end this," Carl says, aiming the gun at the Governor. "end this now."

They did some more talking and Daryl started to feel irritated. He wanted to, as Carl quoted 'end this'. End this so they can continue making a life here, healing the sick, raising the children to become survivors... and for Daryl to find Carol. But 'end' did not exist in the Governors books. Daryl opens the gate and walks towards Rick. Their words becoming much clear. Rick looks over to Daryl and gives him a scowl.

"Well, well, well. Isn't it nice to see you again Daryl?" The Governor laughs.

"No." Daryl huffs.

"I bet it would be even nicer to see an old friend."

Daryl looks at the Governor. "What?"

The Governor looks at one of his men. "Its time."

Two men pull someone out the car, a lady, she lands on her stomach and cries out in pain. But not the cry of being in shock from the sudden pain but the cry that knew this pain and was so much used.

"Get up!" One man shouts.

The lady gets up onto her knees, showing her face. Blood is covered in her hair, bruises filling her face making both eyes black and half closed. And one tiny cut on her lip that caught Daryl's eye. A gun pointed to her head. That's when he seen her. Carol.

"Fuckin' le-" Daryl starts to walk forward but he is pulled back by Rick.

"Don't." Rick starts. "Not yet."

Daryl grunts and rolls his shoulder to pull his angel jacket back on. They have beat her up to the point Daryl could hardly recognize her. Hurt her and god knows what else. He didn't want to think about it. Right now, he needs to concentrate on taking Carol away from these people.

"She has been a god sent," The Governor says. "helping us with ideas to get you out of this prison. This is hers." The Governor looks around. "All this was her idea. The best idea we have had in a long time."

Daryl appears at Carol, her eyes on him. She looks lost, tired but she doesn't look scared. Not like she would have been if this happened years ago. She shakes her head, slowly and gently to Daryl. He believes her. This wasn't on her.

"Don't believe it." Daryl said to Rick.

"Of course, you having to choose over her life and this prison life is very... observable. You will pick more lives over one. That is why I have mixed things up a bit." The Governor says. "You leave, everyone is alive. If you refuse, someone has to step up and shoot Carol themselves otherwise we will attack."

The silence is poisonous, the words replaying in everyone's head. For Daryl it was hard at first, to process but then it kicks in. They want one of them to shoot Carol for the prison. If they did shoot Carol they would be saving loads of lives... including children. And that's reasonable to kill one life over fifty. But... this was Carol.

"What if we do... kill Carol?" Rick asks, breaking the silence.

Daryl looks over to him. Rick was actually considering it. 'End'ing Carol.

"I will... we will try and live with you and do our bit of deed. Sounds fair?" The Governor replies.

Rick turns to Daryl.

"No."

"Look. He's right; one life over all those people is the better offer." Rick suggests.

"The better offer is to fight and to win then to kill one and have them live with us." Daryl says in enraged.

"Both offers have disadvantages. You know I'm right." Rick says.

Daryl hated that he could be right. All those people could... would make a difference in this world. But Carol makes a difference to him more then any of those people could but she... on her own wouldn't change the world like these people could. But she changes the way he sees this world. The way he sees himself. When he looks down at his hands they are shaking.

"Who would do... it?" Daryl's voice is barley a whisper.

"I know you love her. You love her more then anyone." Rick says gently, half expecting to get punched in the face for the words he just said but nothing comes. Daryl just stares at the floor like he's not listening but only thinking.

"But I understand because I wouldn't be able to do it if it was Carl... or Lori. I will do it for you." Rick continues.

"Are you done, time is ticking?" The Governor calls.

"We um, we have the offer we are choosing." Rick says.

"And that is?"

"To..." Rick half points half throws his arm in Carol's direction. Daryl still looking at the floor.

"To execute Carol, I knew it." He smiles. "So, who is doing it?"

"I will." Daryl says.

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><p>Daryl walks outside the prison gates. His eyes never leaving Carol, but hers have already left his. He can't think about it but he already has. The lump in his throat is forming bigger and bigger as he tries to swallow it down. He hasn't cried since Merle died. No more night watches with Carol, no more teasing to the point it made him feel awkward, no more of saving her and actually wanting to. No more giving her his animals he hunted to cook. No more of the best stew and finally... no more Carol. No more lives from the nine she has already used up. No more of nothing.<p>

"Left or right?" The man asks.

"Right." Daryl says, but the tone in his voice is gone.

The man grabs his left arm and pins it to Daryl's back. Another man comes along and pins down Daryl shoulders. The Governor hops down from the tank and walks towards Daryl. Placing the gun in his right hand.

"Don't do anything stupid." The Governor whispers and stands to the side.

Daryl looks down to Carol, her eyes staring at the floor. He's held a gun like this so many times but this time. It feels cold and heavy as his fingers wrap around the trigger. He moves the gun slowly, as slowly as he has ever moved to aim at her head. It's almost like she is already dead. His vision becomes blurry and for the first time he wants to cry, yes, in front of everyone but he doesn't. Carol looks up to him, a small smile on her face.

"I'm giving my nine lives to you." Carol whispers.

Daryl's voice is jokily but filled with grief as he tries to speak over the lump in his throat.

"You better."

The sound of the bullet being released fills the air.

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><p><strong>It's not what you think! AHAHAh. I wanna know what you think will happen next?<strong>

_**TrailOfTears**_


	4. Chapter 4: Idiot

**Thank you for the last chapter's reviews. Keep them coming! I don't like this chapter and I'm not sure if I should carry on. **

**_Chapter 4: Idiot_**

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><p>The light was so bright. It was like Carol had lived in a dark place all her life and then she walked into the light, blinding her eyes from being so use to darkness. Was she dead? If she was dead, is this what light really looks like? Because it was different, it wasn't the natural light on a sunny day, or a light you switch on in a room. It was sparkling. Carol could hear voices, beside her head. Whispering nonsense and she wanted to tell them to go away and let her sleep in this brightness but one by one every sparkle started to pop, and then disappear. It was like catching a ball that had already passed you, they were gone.<p>

Her eyes open to the closed curtains in front of her. They were glowing from a lantern somewhere. At first Carol feels like she is at home, sitting on the sofa just after she passed out from Ed hitting her but then, of course. Someone closed the curtains so the walkers wouldn't see the light from outside.

"How are you feeling?" A voice asks.

Carol turns her head to the fuzzy voice. Red, hot sticky red is covered on the side of her skirt going all the way up her neck. Towels and towels are lying around her, soaked up in blood. Hershel puts his bloody hands back on her shoulder and pushes down.

"I thought I was dead?" Carol asks.

"So did I. I did until I found out Daryl was shooting you." Hershel replies.

_Daryl. _His name leaps in her mind. Where is he? He was supposed to shoot her, did he shoot her? She heard the gun. Carol scans the room only to find nobody.

"Where is everyone?"

Hershel looks up and into her eyes for the first time. "We all got separated."

"Why?" Carol rose but Hershel pushed her back down gently.

A wave of worry hit her. What happened? Why is she in this unfamiliar house, lying on a sofa with blood surrounding her? And that's when she felt it. A whimper left her lips as she felt the throbbing pain in her shoulder. It felt like someone was literally ripping her flesh apart.

"I'll tell you later. But first I need to heal this shoulder."

"What happened?" Carol looks down to her shoulder.

Hershel cut a bandage and lifts Carol's shoulder up, slowly that it didn't hurt. He then starts to wrap the bandage around her.

"Daryl did save me a hell lot of work, and a hell lot of your blood." Hershel sighs. "He knew what he was doing. He shot you in a way that would cause less damage."

That was all he said. He backed up his things, and told her to rest before leaving the room. She wanted to know more about what happened? Daryl shot her. He shot her in her shoulder. She looks at the wound and only wants to know why. But that why will never be answered without him.

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><p>Once Carol left the room she was exhausted. Her shoulder was screaming at her but her mind was also screaming. Screaming for answers. She sat down on a chair, the pain numbed down enough for her to go on. She smiled at Judith sat in the corner of the room, playing with toys.<p>

"After Daryl shot you, the Governor understood what had happened. You weren't unconscious but you were in shock." Hershel said.

That answers why she still heard the gun shot even after supposedly being shot in the head.

"Did they attack?"

"Yes. The tank ran over our fences. Daryl managed to carry you back up while we covered him. He told me to take you away and on the way I seen Judith, I took her with us."

Carol nods. "And now everyone is separated?"

"Yes." Hershel sighs. "There wasn't enough time for Daryl to make a destination arrangement."

Every think seems to make more sense. But Carol wanted to know why Daryl risked everyone's life just for her. It wasn't worth it.

"So, what do we do now?" Carol asks.

"I was hoping we'd make our way. If you are feeling up to it?"

Carol nods.

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><p>"While you swing, keep your left shoulder relaxed." Hershel instructs.<p>

Carol nods and swings the back of her gun... their only gun on the walker's head. She grits her teeth as her left shoulder moves; she doesn't want Hershel to know she is in pain anymore then him telling her she is. They need to find the others because to be honest Carol didn't think the three of them could survive on their own.

"Is that all of them?" Carol looks down at her feet. Keeping her face hidden. But nothing.

"Hershel?" She calls again. Looking up she follows Hershel's line of sight.

Walkers. A herd of walkers walk down the road. Towards them. Carol didn't understand, they didn't use the gun, they didn't make a noise.

"They must be just coming through." Hershel says.

"Go."

And with that they started to run down the road. The wind was flying in their direction, making as simple as running actually very hard. Judith cries flew with it. Carol looked behind and seen Hershel struggling.

"I'll take her. Common." Carol reaches for Judith.

"Go ahead."

"What?"

"I'm not as fit as I use to be." Hershel puffs.

"No! There is a house there. You can make it." Carol points.

"I can't." Hershel breathes.

"Take her." Carol hands Judith back to him. "And go to that house. I will draw them away."

"No." Hershel shakes his head.

"I have to do this... for Judith."

Hershel looks at her one last time. Hopefully not the last time but probably the last time. He runs away. Carol runs in the other direction and into the forest. Her shoulder aching that as she runs she feels herself becoming dizzy and drowsy. Her knees give way and she tumbles onto the floor. Coughing blood and shooting the gun in the air.

Once.

Twice.

Two beats later and then again.

This will attract them this way and away from the house Hershel and Judith went to. Carol tried to get up but she fell back down, the weight on her shoulder heavier then she could carry. She had to get up, and run. Daryl didn't shoot her for nothing and she wanted to prove everyone wrong. She pressed her back into the tree and waited, waited until she could hear the walkers clumsy steps. She chuckled. What an idiot. Carol attracted the walkers to herself and didn't even bother to run.

What an idiot.

What an idiot.

What an idiot.

"Are ya some sort of idiot?" A girl yelled.

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><p><strong>Daryl and Carol will reunite sooonn but I wanted to make this girl the key to that. <strong>

_**TrailOfTears**_


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